Merry Christmas, Inuyasha!
by Tobu Ishi
Summary: A holiday fic, waaay belated, to hopefully bring a little Christmas fun to y'all whatever season it may be. M_~* Kagome is having a Christmas party, and Inuyasha is *not* invited...but then again, when has a little thing like courtesy ever stopped him?
1. In Which An Escape is Made and A Plan is...

#- Merry Christmas, Inuyasha! -#  
  
An Inuyasha Fanfic by Tobu Ishi  
  
  
  
-Part 1- In Which An Escape is Made and A Plan Is Laid  
________________  
  
"No! No way, no how! I am sick of you skipping out every time we're about to get something done, and you are not leaving! You hear me? NOT NOW!"  
  
Inuyasha fixed an angry golden glare on the girl in front of him, his face red with frustration. Nearby, Miroku and Shippo watched from a safe distance. Miroku looked carefully at Kagome. Her feet were planted, her arms were crossed, and her jaw was set with determination. The young priest winced.  
  
"This one's going to be bad..." he murmured, and settled himself in the grass, preparing for a long wait...  
  
"Inuyasha," Kagome said, her voice surprisingly calm. "I am not going to miss my own Christmas party because of your never-ending quest. Period. Now you can either say goodbye nicely, or you can make this into a big, messy argument that'll probably end with me pulling an osuwari-and-run." She raised an eyebrow. "Well?"  
  
The hanyou hesitated, looking confused and a little taken aback.  
  
"Kagome? Two questions."  
  
"Shoot," Kagome said, shrugging.  
  
"Right. One; why are you being nice to me? Usually you flip out when I won't let you go back."  
  
Kagome grinned. "I'm determined not to lose my Christmas spirit, that's why. Even you are not making me mad today, Inuyasha."  
  
Inuyasha pondered this for a minute. Then he nodded. "Okay. Question two... What the hell is Christmas?"  
  
He expected Kagome to fly off the handle, or at least snap at him for being crude. Instead, her eyes lit up and she got a weird, happy look on her face.  
  
"Christmas? Oh, that's right, you don't have it here yet. Well...Christmas is kind of a winter festival, where you get together with people you care about and give them gifts. It's got a lot to do with friendship, and caring, and being nice to people when you'd rather not. It's a lot of fun! Oh, and you eat a lot of food, too. Really good food...which reminds me, I'm starving. I'd better go, Inuyasha. Christmas is tomorrow, and I have to help my mom make cookies. I promised."  
  
With that, she hurried over to the well. To her surprise, Inuyasha didn't grab her by the arm, or yell for her to get the hell back here, or anything like that. He just stood watching her. Puzzled, but not about to question a free chance to get home, she waved to Miroku and Shippo.  
  
"See you in a couple of days, guys!" Kagome glanced back at Inuyasha, who was still watching her, an odd look on his face. She smiled at him; maybe he was finally growing up...or at least getting used to the fact that, when she really wanted to leave, there was no way he could stop her.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Inuyasha!" she cheerily called, and hopped into the well.  
  
When she was safely gone, Miroku and Shippo ventured out of the trees.  
  
"Well, that was unusually mature of you, Inuyasha," Miroku observed, leaning on his staff.  
  
"Yeah, how come you didn't throw a tantrum, huh?" Shippo chimed in.   
  
Inuyasha had been standing with his back to them, but now he turned around, and Miroku regretted asking. Inuyasha looked ready for a good sulk.  
  
"She wanted to go to her festival," he said crossly, and flopped down in the grass with a thump. Miroku frowned, not sure what the massive significance of this was, although Inuyasha's voice made it very clear that there was something very wrong with it.  
  
"Yes...and?"  
  
"And she says it's for spending time with her favorite people," Inuyasha continued, knitting his face into a meaningful frown. Miroku nodded.  
  
"Yes. And?"  
  
Inuyasha scowled, leaping to his feet. "And nothing!" he snapped. "If you're too stupid to figure it out, then bug the hell off already!" With that, he stomped off. Miroku stood there for a long moment, thinking. Then, a smile spread across his face, turning quickly into a wide grin.  
  
"Ah...*now* I see."  
  
"See what?" Shippo asked, hopping up and down eagerly. "See what, Miroku? What is it?"  
  
Miroku walked off in the direction Inuyasha had gone, nodding to himself. "You'll see."  
  
Shippo scowled, and ran after him. "See *what*?! Miroku..."  
  
Ignoring the little kitsune, Miroku followed Inuyasha's tracks toward the trees. By the time they reached them, Shippo had shut up and was just following at Miroku's heels, bursting with curiosity.  
  
"Inuyasha? Inuyasha, where are you?" Miroku called, looking around. No point in being stealthy; the dog-boy was bound to hear them coming a mile off, no matter how 'quiet' they were.  
  
An acorn bounced off Miroku's ear. He spun around, searching the trees.  
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
"Bug off," came a gruff shout from a tree overhead. Miroku looked up and spotted the hanyou crouched in the branches above him.  
  
"Inu-ow!" Another acorn, this time smack in the middle of the forehead. "Stop being childish and get down here," Miroku snapped, frustrated.  
  
"Why?" Inuyasha said, coolly gazing out across the forest. Miroku sighed.  
  
"You want to go to Kagome's special festival thing, ne? And you're insulted that she didn't invite you."  
  
Inuyasha let out a scornful snort, but didn't deny it.  
  
"So what's the problem?" Miroku inquired, frowning up into the branches. "Just go to the festival already. It must be at her house; she called it 'hers'. What's wrong with just showing up?"  
  
Inuyasha glanced down at him. "Without an invitation?" he said, skeptically. Miroku shrugged.  
  
"Hey, has etiquette ever stopped you before?" he said, with more than a little irony dripping from his voice. Inuyasha snorted.  
  
"You expect a hanyou to just walk into a human celebration unnoticed?"  
  
Miroku grinned. "You *are* really determined to spend tomorrow wallowing in self-pity, aren't you... Or did you actually forget it's the new moon tomorrow night?"  
  
Inuyasha started to shoot back a sharp reply-hesitated-paused to think. "Are you going?" he asked after a moment.  
  
Miroku grinned. "Would I miss it? One thing about human festivals; there's usually no shortage of girls at them."  
  
"Me, too!" Shippo cried eagerly. "Me, too! Kagome said there's food there!"  
  
Miroku glanced down at him, uncertain. "I'm not sure, Shippo. You'd stick out like a white cat in a tarry sack..."  
  
"Please?" he begged, doing his best to look sweet and innocent. The overall effect was not particularly reassuring, but Miroku felt bad about leaving him on his own.  
  
"Maybe you could stay with Kagome's brother," he said. "He might just be able to keep you out of trouble...and he could sneak you some food if you stayed in his room."  
  
"That's fine!" Shippo said gleefully. "I hope those cookie things will be there!"  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Yuck. Too sweet," he muttered. He leaped down from the tree, landing in a crouch right in front of Miroku, who didn't flinch. Standing up, Inuyasha looked guardedly at Miroku's face, sizing up his intent.  
  
"Well?" the young priest said. Inuyasha shrugged.  
  
"Sure," he said, and his fangs flashed white in a rare smile. "Sure...let's do it."  
  
"Wonderful!" Miroku exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "We'd better go see Kaede..."  
  
"Why that old hag?"  
  
Miroku sweatdropped. "Well..." He glanced at Inuyasha's less-than-spic-and-span gi. "If you don't mind me saying, Inuyasha, your gi is fine for adventuring, but for a festival? Trust me, you need some serious work."  
  
Inuyasha's pupils contracted. "Not..."  
  
"I'm afraid so," Miroku nodded, trying hard to keep a straight face. "If you're planning to go with us, Inuyasha, you are taking...a bath."  
  
The hanyou looked for a moment to be seriously considering making a run for it, but Miroku grabbed his arm and began to drag him off. Inuyasha struggled, but not as much as he could have. Miroku grinned. The dog-boy really *did* want to go to this festival.  
  
And it would be well worth the potential embarrassment of having him along, just to hear him cursing a blue streak while Kaede scrubbed behind his ears...  
  
________________  
  
  
-Part 2- In Which Our Hero Receives A Most Unusual Christmas Present  
  
Coming soon! 


	2. In Which Our Hero Receives A Most Unusua...

#- Merry Christmas, Inuyasha! -#  
  
An Inuyasha Fanfic by Tobu Ishi  
  
  
  
-Part 2- In Which Our Hero Receives A Most Unusual Christmas Present  
__________________  
  
"Hand me the blue, will you, dear?"  
  
Kagome leaned across the kitchen table, handing the plastic tube of icing to her mother. "There you go, 'Kaasan."  
  
"Thank you, dear," her mother said, smiling. She drew a series of small dots on the tray of sugar cookies in front of her, and reached for the yellow. "Shouldn't you go get ready? Your friends will be here in an hour or so."  
  
Kagome glanced down at the icing, flour, and powdered sugar smearing her apron and hands. "Good point," she said, smiling sheepishly. "I'd better take a shower. See you in a bit," she called over her shoulder, already on her way to the bathroom.  
  
As she went down the hallway, she saw a few flakes of snow drift past the window and grinned. Her little brother pushed past her, something green in his hand. Kagome frowned, catching him by the arm.  
  
"Whatcha got there, Sato?"  
  
He yelped in alarm. "Nothing...bye, Kagome!" Twisting out of her grasp, he ran off to his room. Kagome shrugged.  
  
"Whatever..."  
  
It didn't take long to shower. As she dried her hair, Kagome looked critically at herself in the mirror.  
  
"Hunh..." she murmured, giving her face a once-over. "Not bad...a little makeup, maybe some eyeliner? I haven't gotten a chance to dress up in ages..." She laughed. "I was starting to worry I would turn into an old battleaxe like Kaede, with all that running around and shooting at things." Setting down the hairdryer, she headed into her room, unconsciously rubbing at the little bowstring callus developing on the inside of her index finger...  
  
  
  
"Does she know we're here?" Miroku asked as he climbed out of the well, glancing around cautiously. It was snowing steadily by now, and the white powder was already a good inch and a half thick on the ground outside. Inuyasha followed him, muttering grumpily to himself about the damn soap in his ears, his long black hair surprisingly glossy now that the dirt and pine needles which it tended to collect had been forcibly scrubbed out of it by Kaede.  
  
Sato shook his head, grinning. "Nope, no idea. She's in the shower right now, so I can smuggle Shippo in. You guys better stay out here until the party starts. You're too big to hide real well."  
  
"Are there cookies?" Shippo asked anxiously. He was perched on Miroku's shoulder.  
  
"Mom made three batches," Sato said with a grin. "And fudge."  
  
"Fudge?" Shippo said, his eyes already glazing over at the thought of all that sugar. "What's that?"  
  
"Trust me, you'll like it," Sato assured him. Starting to head back to the house, he paused, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. Squashing the expression, he turned back to the waiting hanyou and priest. "Here," he said, holding out a scrap of greenery. "You need this to get in. It's...um...traditional."  
  
"This?" Inuyasha said, taking the sprig of leaves and turning it over curiously. "What's it for?"  
  
"Well, you have to hold it over your head when you come in the door," Sato explained seriously. "It's an old ritual, from...um...the days when people used to bring each other pieces of plants as gifts. Long after your time, of course; I'm sure you haven't started that tradition yet where you come from."  
  
"Over my head, huh?" Inuyasha said. "Weird. You're sure I need to do that?"  
  
"Positive," Sato said, nodding firmly. Miroku cleared his throat.  
  
"What about me?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, you don't need one," Sato said. "You guys can both get in with just one. But Inuyasha had better hold on to it. His, um, hair is longer than yours...yeah." With that last bit of tangled 'explanation', Sato hurried off back to the house with Shippo at his heels, grinning proudly at the thought of his 'creative' Christmas present...  
  
"Hair?" Miroku muttered, a frown on his face. "Hunh...well, you learn something new every day, I guess."  
  
Inuyasha examined the bit of greenery, sniffing at it slightly. "Ever seen this before?" he asked Miroku, holding it out.  
  
"Hm. Well, it's got white berries...but the leaves don't look familiar. Sorry," he said. "Probably foreign, anyway. We'd better find a place we can watch the door from." He walked off, with Inuyasha trailing after him.  
  
  
  
"Cookies!" Shippo jubilated, the minute Sato came back into the room, laden with loot.  
  
"And punch," he added, holding up the tray. Two glasses sat on it, as well as a small heap of fudge and several stacks of...yes...cookies. "Mom's going to wonder where all of this went," he commented as he set the tray on the floor. Shippo attacked it immediately.  
  
The two kids were holed up in Sato's room, out of the way of the partygoers. Several teenagers had already arrived, and the house was filling with people. In the growing pandemonium, it had been easy for Sato to swipe enough food to hold them over all night.  
  
"Thish ish weawwy goob!" the kitsune exclaimed through a mouthful of fudge. He was sitting on Sato's bed, a cookie in each hand. Sato laughed.  
  
"Told you you'd like it. Hey, we ought to do something Christmas-y. Uh...want to hear a Christmas carol?"  
  
"A what?" the kitsune asked, swallowing.  
  
"You know, a song for Christmas," Sato explained. "Like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, or Joy to the World."  
  
"Joy to the World? Never heard of it. Can I try the punch?"  
  
Sato handed him a glass. "It goes like, 'Joy to the world, the Lord is come, and, um, something something something!' I don't know the words very well..."  
  
"Sounds dumb," Shippo snorted. Taking a sip, his eyes lit up. "Hey, this punch stuff is great!"  
  
  
  
"Well, that's about fifteen people," Miroku observed as two more teenagers hurried through the door of the Higurashi residence. "I doubt there are many more coming. Feel like going inside yet?"  
  
Inuyasha swallowed. "Might as well," he said, carefully nonchalant. He would never have admitted it, but he was nervous. He'd never really been to a festival before, especially not one he'd never heard of, with a bunch of humans around...  
  
He looked up and realized that Miroku was halfway to the front door.  
  
"Hey! What the hell!" Leaping to his feet, he ran after him, crunching through the deepening snow. They'd been staking out the place from a bush near the shrine, within easy sight range of the house. Miroku stopped, frowning at him.  
  
"Inuyasha, this is a festival. At least try not to be coarse. And please don't attract any more attention than you have to. Best behavior, got it?"  
  
Inuyasha growled, harboring thoughts of what he'd like to do to a certain goddamn priest who suddenly thought he was his nursemaid...but he nodded grudgingly, and they walked up to the door with no further mishaps, ringing the doorbell as they'd seen the other guests do.  
  
"Oh, hey, I almost forgot the plant thing," Inuyasha grumbled, fishing it out of his pocket. Kaede had gotten them both clean tunics and pants, without much ornamentation; they weren't quite modern, but they were everyday enough not to look too out of place. "I still don't get this," he muttered, glancing at the greenery.  
  
"When in Kyoto, do as the locals do," Miroku volunteered.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Use the branch," Miroku translated dryly. Inuyasha shrugged, shook the snowflakes from his hair, and held the bit of mistletoe unsuspectingly over his head...  
  
  
  
"...so then they run into this room, except there's no doors leading out, and when they turn around, the door they came through is gone, and-"  
  
*ding-dong*  
  
"Doorbell!" Kagome exclaimed, glad for the chance to escape her friend's long-winded narrative of last week's X-Files episode. "Gotta go, Miyo!" Without pausing to hear Miyo's protest that she hadn't gotten to the good part yet, she hurried to the door, flinging it open. "Merry Chris-Inuyasha?!!"  
  
"Evening, Kagome-sama," Miroku volunteered from behind the hanyou. "Just thought we'd drop by..."  
  
"Oh, lord help me," Kagome muttered, rubbing her temples. "I don't-" Glancing up at them for a second, she noticed a spot of green in Inuyasha's hand. "Uh...Inuyasha? What's that?"  
  
"This?" the clueless hanyou asked, looking up at the bit of shrubbery he held. "Just part of the season."  
  
Kagome's eyebrow twitched. "Inuyasha, what are you doing with mistletoe? Do you, um, know what it's for?"  
  
He grinned, still obliviously waiting to be let in. "Oh, yeah, your brother told me all about it."  
  
"Oh, he did, did he?" Kagome muttered darkly.  
  
Behind her, Miyo and another girl from her class, Akemi, had noticed the 'commotion'. They hurried over, spotted the mistletoe and began to giggle.  
  
Inuyasha frowned at them, confused, then turned back to Kagome, who was still blocking the door. "Well? C'mon, wench, what are you waiting for?"  
  
"Yeah, Kagome," Akemi agreed wickedly. "You going to keep him waiting until he freezes out there? Where's your Christmas spirit?"  
  
"I don't see what she's upset about," Miyo whispered to her friend. "He's cute...even with the screwy hairdo."  
  
Kagome overheard and grinned in spite of herself. "Oh, my Christmas spirit's just fine," she said cheerfully.  
  
"Prove it," Akemi teased. "I dare you. Give it to him!"  
  
Kagome's eyes flashed. "Fine," she snapped, and turned to Inuyasha.  
  
"Uh...give what to me?" Inuyasha said, suddenly wary. "Kagome..."  
  
His answer came in the form of Kagome grabbing him and kissing him until his knees turned to water. The poor hanyou was too shocked to react as the seconds ticked by. Finally letting go of him, Kagome grinned.  
  
"There. Merry Christmas, Inuyasha," she said, and turned, strolling off in the direction of the punch bowl.  
  
Miroku carefully stepped over Inuyasha, who had fallen flat on the welcome mat the second Kagome let go. About to walk off, he paused, and turned back to the dazed hanyou. "Gimme that," he said, snatching the mistletoe from Inuyasha's twitching hand and making off into the thick of the crowd with it.  
  
Akemi and Miyo glanced at each other. "What was in *her* punch?" Akemi wondered aloud, her mouth twitching into a smile.  
  
"Wow," was all Miyo had to say. With twin shrugs, both girls headed off into the crowd.  
  
_________________  
  
  
-Part 3- In Which There is an Unfortunate Misunderstanding (and Miroku Discovers Miniskirts)  
  
Coming Soon! 


	3. In Which There Is An Unfortunate Misunde...

#- Merry Christmas, Inuyasha! -#  
  
An Inuyasha Fanfic by Tobu Ishi  
  
  
  
-Part 3- In Which There Is An Unfortunate Misunderstanding, And Miroku Discovers Mini-Skirts  
________________  
  
"...jingle bells, Jaken smells, Inuyasha's mean! Naraku's a big wet smack, and Kagome makes good punch! Hey!"  
  
Sato laughed. "That doesn't even rhyme, Shippo."  
  
"So?" he asked challengingly, reaching for his twelfth piece of fudge with a giggle. "I like these Christmas coral things! Know any more?"  
  
"Carols," Sato corrected. "Sure, lemme think for a second. Oh, hey! How about..." He burst into song. "Joy to the world, Kagome's dead! They barbecued her head! Don't worry 'bout the body, they flushed it down the potty, and 'round and 'round it goes, and 'round and 'round it goes, and 'rou-ound, and 'rouuund, and round it goes..."  
  
  
  
Having regained motor movement, Inuyasha had dragged himself to a chair to try and let his poor brain figure out what had just happened.  
  
"Pervert!"  
  
A yelp of pain and the sound of a slap rang out across the living room. A second later, Miroku came dejectedly over to sit next to Inuyasha. "Some people have all the luck," he muttered, rubbing the red spot appearing on his cheek.  
  
"What happened to you?" said Inuyasha, blinking at the battered priest.  
  
"Apparently that mistletoe thing doesn't work as well for some people as it does for others," Miroku muttered, staring darkly at the floor. Inuyasha grinned.  
  
"Tried using it on some wench and got slapped, huh?"  
  
Miroku bristled slightly, but didn't answer. Inuyasha snorted, leaning back to look up at the ceiling.  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, it's not that great when it *does* work, either," he said offhandedly. Miroku arched a knowing eyebrow.  
  
"Isn't it?" he inquired. Inuyasha reddened.  
  
"No!" he snapped, and stood up, about to stomp off.  
  
"Hey, hey, don't get your gi in a twist," Miroku said, grabbing his arm. "I was just saying that you seemed to be enjoying yourself back there a lot more than you're letting on."  
  
Inuyasha growled at him, and the priest quickly removed his hand from the hanyou's wrist.  
  
"Just an opinion," he amended. Inuyasha snorted again and disappeared into the crowd. Miroku grinned; he'd seen the hanyou's blush deepen when he'd hinted about 'enjoying' the mistletoe's effects. "I love it when I'm right," the young priest said, chuckling.  
  
His chuckle died in his throat as a pair of female legs sauntered by at eye level, encased in something unique to this modern day and age: the hot pink miniskirt.  
  
"Hel-lo..." Reaching for his 'trusty' mistletoe again, Miroku hopped to his feet. "Hey, if at first you don't succeed," he drawled, following his new target off toward the food table.  
  
  
  
Sato and Shippo were halfway through an "improved" version of 'O Christmas Tree' when Inuyasha poked his head into the room.  
  
"What kind of racket are you making?" he snapped, looking around suspiciously.  
  
Sato stopped singing abruptly; Shippo kept going. The human boy quickly clapped a hand over his mouth; he hiccupped and fell silent.  
  
"Uh...nothing..." Sato said, too quickly. Inuyasha glared at him.  
  
"That leafy stuff," he growled. "You knew it wasn't for getting into parties, didn't you."  
  
It wasn't a question. Sato laughed uncertainly. "Eheheh...yeah. Good present, huh? Uhh...Inuyasha? Where are you go-"  
  
The door slammed.  
  
"Well. That was weird...I wonder what happened to his Christmas spirit?" Uncorking Shippo, Sato shrugged and reached for a piece of fudge...  
  
  
  
"So...you're not from around here, are you?"  
  
Miroku shrugged. "Not really. Why?"  
  
The miniskirt girl giggled, tossing her curly dark hair over her shoulder. "Well, look at your clothes, for one thing. Definitely foreign...either that, or somebody forgot to tell you this isn't a costume party."  
  
Miroku sighed. "I didn't have a lot of choice..."  
  
She nodded sympathetically. "I know the problem." She grinned. "Besides, I've been watching you. You stare like a country boy...not used to women or something?" She twitched her hips slightly, dropping him a flirtatious wink.  
  
If he hadn't just taken a sudden trip to heaven, Miroku might have been embarrassed by the blush that brightened his cheeks. He was used to women, all right, just not ones that were so...friendly...  
  
"Um...sorry about that," he apologized, making no effort whatsoever to stop staring despite his words. The girl glanced down at his hand, and a slow smile spread across her face.  
  
"It's fine, honey," she purred. "My name's Sanna, and I like a man who doesn't beat around the bush. Hey, is that mistletoe?" She reached for it, setting down her punch glass. "Mind if I borrow that for a second...?"  
  
  
  
"Hey! Cut that out!"  
  
Kagome let out a gleeful cackle, lobbing another ball of snow smack into Hojo's face. The boy yelped and spluttered, shaking snow out of his bangs, and looked up at her, grinning.  
  
"Okay, Higurashi, you asked for it." Diving for a handful of snow, he packed it into a ball and chased her across the yard with it, as she screamed with laughter. They'd gone outside for some fresh air and a look at the snow, and Kagome hadn't been able to resist starting a snowball fight.  
  
"Yeek! Hojo, don't-kyaah!" she squealed, as he caught up to her and rammed the snowball down the back of her jacket. Falling to her knees, she shook at her jacket, trying to get the icy stuff out of it. Hojo knelt next to her, concerned and a bit remorseful.  
  
"Higurashi? Are you okay?"  
  
In answer, Kagome turned and tackled him, laughing. He went down instantly, too startled to brace himself, and she grabbed a handful of snow and washed his face with it.  
  
"Pffaht! Hey, quit it!"  
  
"Say 'Uncle'!"  
  
"No! I-gyapffft! Okay, okay! Uncle!"  
  
True to her word, Kagome stopped, flopping into the snow next to him. They were behaving like little kids, she thought smilingly. Must be the punch or something... She sighed contentedly; for once the problems of feudal Japan were far from her mind.  
  
"Higurashi?"  
  
"Hm?" Kagome murmured, propping herself up on one elbow to look at him. Hojo smiled warmly.  
  
"I-oh, no, just look at you," he broke off, sitting up with an anxious look on his face. "You're shivering..."  
  
"I'm fine, Hojo-kun," Kagome assured him, smiling. Hojo stood up, offering her a hand, which she took.  
  
"Really, Higurashi-san," he said, looking seriously into her eyes. "I would never forgive myself if you got sick again because of me."  
  
Kagome smiled. "Hojo-kun. That is so sweet," she quietly said.  
  
Suddenly, Hojo shrugged out of his jacket, impulsively taking it off and handing it to her.  
  
"Here."  
  
"Oh...Hojo, I couldn't..." Kagome said, startled. "I..."  
  
"It's okay," he insisted, pressing it into her hands. "I don't get cold easily."  
  
When she made no move to take the jacket, he gently took it from her and put it around her shoulders, looking into her eyes.  
  
"Higurashi-san, I know I worry too much about you, and I know it's probably a nuisance," he told her kindly. "But please, don't take it the wrong way. If I worry too much, it's only because I care about you..."  
  
His hands lingered for a moment on her shoulders, and Kagome felt her heart warming to the sincere affection in his eyes. She leaned forward...  
  
  
  
"Stupid wench, what does she think she's doing, hiding from me or what?" Inuyasha muttered, stomping through the living room. "First she forgets to invite me, then she practically attacks me, and now.....she......."  
  
Flinging open the door, Inuyasha's voice trailed off, as his eyes were greeted with the sight of Kagome, wrapped in the arms of a human boy...and kissing him with a tender warmth that had been utterly absent in her show-off 'attack' on him earlier that night...  
  
For a long moment, Inuyasha was speechless. A strange, aching feeling slowly filled his heart, as if something dark and terrible was slowly swallowing it. His eyes stung, and there was something wrong with his lungs; they suddenly didn't seem to work.  
  
"Kagome..." he whispered, but his voice was soft, almost silent, and Kagome didn't hear or turn. Watching with shock-riveted eyes, he saw her slender hand slide up and into the hair at the nape of the human boy's neck, pulling him closer...  
  
"Kuso!" Inuyasha spat, and bolted for the well.  
  
The sound of running footsteps broke the warm spell that seemed to have laid hold of Kagome, and her eyes blinked open...  
  
Just in time to see a familiar dark-haired shape run the last few steps to the well and leap in.  
  
*Inuyasha? Oh, no...*  
  
"Che!" she swore, breaking away from Hojo. The poor boy stared at her, bewildered.  
  
"Higurashi...?"  
  
Cursing her stupidity, Kagome sighed and looked up into Hojo's eyes. *It couldn't just be Inuyasha, could it. I break hearts like kindling...* Guilt filling her, she touched Hojo's cheek gently.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Hojo-kun...I didn't mean you, I just..." Her eyes dark with worry, she glanced over at the well. "I'm sorry. I guess the punch got to me, or something...I don't know what came over me..."  
  
Hojo might not have been the brightest bulb in the box, but the guilty, agitated look on her face finally registered. "There's someone else, isn't there?" he said, his voice soft.  
  
Kagome looked back to him, startled. "Hojo?"  
  
He sighed, gently letting go of her. "I should have seen it before. *I'm* sorry, Higurashi-san...for being such a nuisance."  
  
Kagome's eyes filled. "Oh, Hojo-kun...you were never a nuisance..." She took a deep breath. "I know it's a stupid thing to say, especially now, but...I'll always count you as one of my best friends."  
  
Hojo nodded, and a sweet, sad smile crossed his face.  
  
"Right. Well, I guess all I can say is good luck, Higurashi-san."  
  
Standing on tiptoe, Kagome kissed him lightly on the cheek.  
  
"Thanks for understanding," she whispered, smiling warmly at him. He patted her on the shoulder.  
  
"It's fine... Go get him, ne?" With that last, he turned and went slowly back into the house.  
  
Kagome sighed again, deeply, as the door shut. *Poor Hojo...* Then the well caught her eye, and she swallowed hard, setting her face resolutely.  
  
"I can fix things with him later...right now, I have a hanyou to find."  
  
  
________________  
  
  
-Part 4- In Which Harsh Words Are Exchanged, and Kagome Learns The Meaning of 'Better Late Than Never'  
  
Coming soon! 


	4. In Which Harsh Words Are Exchanged, and ...

#- Merry Christmas, Inuyasha! -#  
  
An Inuyasha Fanfic by Tobu Ishi  
  
  
  
-Part 4- In Which Harsh Words Are Exchanged, and Kagome Learns The Meaning of 'Better Late Than Never'  
________________  
  
Bursting out of the well, Inuyasha took off running through the woods, just for the distraction of fast motion. It didn't help; every tree he sped past seemed to have the shape of Kagome and her human love traced in the patterns of its bark, or wound in its twining branches...  
  
*Is this how she felt when she caught me kissing Kikyo?* The thought wove faintly through the wounded turmoil in his mind, but he shook his head angrily. *No, she probably just went and poured out her troubles to *him*...*  
  
Speeding up, he went pelting past looming trees and foliage, running a wide, curving line just beyond the outskirts of the village. He stayed well into the woods; he didn't want anyone bothering him just then.  
  
*Stupid wench...I should have known there was someone back there! Why else would she keep wanting to go back! All that talk about school was just a trick...* His fists clenched as he ran, his claws digging into his palms, but the pain wasn't enough to shift his attention from the greater pain tearing at his insides. *I should never have believed her! I should never have let her go back! She never really cared about me...*  
  
He was nearly back to the well again, and the thought gritted his teeth. *Here I was, actually thinking about using the Jewel to...oh, never mind what I thought! I was an idiot! Women are nothing but pain and betrayal and-"  
  
Suddenly, Inuyasha's foot caught on a trailing vine, and he slammed full-length into the ground, his momentum knocking the breath from his lungs. He lay there, the side of his face pressed against the musty earth of the forest floor, breathing raggedly; the strength to get up just wasn't there somehow.  
  
"Chikushouu..." he whispered to the silent, uncaring forest. One of his outstretched hands curled into a fist, and he squeezed his eyes shut; a trickle of blood was making its way down his jawline from where he'd hit his face on a low-growing branch on the way to the ground, but he didn't care. *I could never have been a human anyway,* he thought miserably. * I can handle physical pain...but this hurts too much...*  
  
A single tear slid down his cheek, and dripped to the ground...  
  
  
  
Carefully, Kagome climbed out of the Boneeater's Well, looking uncertainly around. She would probably have to track him; he might be miles away by now...  
  
A flicker of silver in the dark of the woods caught her eyes, and she zeroed in on it, following it through the shadows. *I wish I'd brought a flashlight,* she thought gloomily. *It can't be him, anyway. Why on earth would he have stayed so close?* Unless he'd thought she would be too busy with Hojo to come after him... Kagome grimaced, kicking herself mentally for being such a thoughtless little-  
  
Her thoughts trailed off as she pushed her way into a stand of tangly vines...and recognized the sprawled form in the midst of them.  
  
*Inuyasha...?* she thought, stunned. What had happened? She took a step forward, her heart in her throat...  
  
His ears twitched. "Go away."  
  
Kagome blinked. His voice was flat, but with an odd thickness to it...a tone she'd never heard in his voice before. "Inuyasha, I-"  
  
He lifted his head to look at her, and for a moment his heart hammered to see her standing there, so beautiful in the moonlight...  
  
*But I don't have a chance with her,* he remembered wearily. *She's got her human sweetheart...and all I am is a useless hanyou with my face in the dirt.* Wishing he could sink into the ground, Inuyasha settled for brusqueness instead.  
  
"I know," he interrupted her, struggling awkwardly to a sitting position. His gi was all over dirt from his fall, and he had to force himself not to brush at it in embarrassment. "I saw it...I saw everything. So why don't you just go back to your precious festival and forget about me, huh?" Anger surged up with the pain in his heart, and he got to his feet, glaring at her. "In fact, why don't you just forget everything! Forget the Sengoku Jidai, and the Shikon no Tama, and me!!" Fists clenched, he stared at the ground. "You'd be happier back in your world. You never cared about anything here, anyway..."  
  
Kagome frowned, looking at his face with puzzlement. Just then, he reached up to push his bangs out of his eyes, and the moonlight glinted off of something on his cheek...  
  
"You've been...crying...?" Kagome murmured, stunned. She had never seen Inuyasha cry, not even when he thought Kikyo had fallen to her second death...not even when he saw Sesshoumaru's facsimile of his mother...  
  
He might have gone red; it was hard to tell in the half-light. "Urusei, wench," he muttered, turning to go.  
  
A small hand caught hold of his shoulder, stopping him. Slowly, Inuyasha turned to face her, and Kagome saw that his face was smudged with dirt and tears...and something more. Her insides wrenched, as she realized that it was heartbreak she saw written in his eyes...  
  
"Oh, Inuyasha," she whispered, tears appearing in her own eyes. He frowned, uncertain of what was going on...  
  
Then, Kagome gently slid her arms around him, in a contrite embrace.  
  
He stood, frozen, not understanding... *Kagome...why is she...?*  
  
Pulling away, Kagome met his eyes. "Inuyasha, that boy was a friend of mine," she explained, her voice full of apology. "We were just talking, and, well, I don't know what happened...but it wasn't what you think!" She sounded almost pleading, and Inuyasha blinked, almost softening...but then, he pushed her away, turning his back to her.  
  
"Why should I believe you?" he snapped, crossing his arms. "How do I know that everything you've ever told me isn't a lie?"  
  
"Inuyasha, please-" she started to say, her voice thick with tears, but he whirled, interrupting her.  
  
"Quit crying!! I don't understand you, Kagome! You kiss me, you kiss him, you act like you care but you constantly sneak off to see someone else...if you're trying to crush me, there are easier ways to do it!"  
  
There was more truth to the accusation than Kagome wanted to think about. She clenched her fists at her sides, shouting right back at him.  
  
"And what about you?! You want to play the blame game, huh? Answer me this-who can't even decide between the girl who tried to kill him and the one who saved his life?!"  
  
"Kikyo is different!" Inuyasha spat back, flustered. "She, well, I...I knew her before I knew you!"  
  
"Same with me and Hojo!" Kagome retorted, although she knew there was only a small space between the times she'd met the two boys. "And besides, time doesn't matter, it's caring that counts! Do you expect me to sit and wait for you forever, while you make up your mind? I have feelings too, Inuyasha! The world doesn't revolve around you and your guilt!"  
  
Inuyasha's mouth worked silently, as he tried to think up something to throw back at her and came up with nothing. She was right; he had spent the last few months dithering uselessly about his responsibility to Kikyo, never thinking that he might have a responsibility to Kagome, too...  
  
"Why do you care, anyway?" he yelled, burning with frustration and anger and humiliation. Kagome stared up at his face, bright and angry and tear-streaked...  
  
*Tears for me,* she thought, and something in her snapped, or maybe just flung itself open...  
  
"Stupid hanyou!" she cried, and suddenly the anger went out of her voice and there were only tears, as she looked miserably up at him. "Can't you see it? Inuyasha, I love you..."  
  
He was silent, staring at her with unreadable eyes, and Kagome's heart sank. *Too little, too late...I blew it. I guess it's no more than I deserve.* Dejectedly, she turned to go.  
  
She only took two steps, before a rush of wind announced Inuyasha, leaping in front of her. He straightened from his landing crouch, his eyes searching hers.  
  
"Do you mean it?"  
  
"What?" Kagome murmured, confused. Inuyasha blew out a long-suffering sigh.  
  
"You said you love me. Do you mean it?"  
  
"Of course I mean it," Kagome said, frustrated and a little confused. "Would I say it if I didn't?"  
  
"More than that guy back there?" he pressed. Kagome sighed.  
  
"More than anyone I've ever met...more than I ever thought I could love anyone, if you've got to know," she said, her voice dull and on the brink of crying. "Not that it matters now. I wasted my chance with you, and I know it. So are you going to let me past, or do I have to go to Kaede's to cry in peace?"  
  
*S-she really loves me...? Even Kikyo never...never said...*  
  
Kagome's vision was so blurred with unshed tears that she hardly saw him walk up to her. She did feel his hand, though, as he carefully wiped her tears away with a clean bit of his gi sleeve. Blinking, she looked up at him with a sniff.  
  
"I-Inuyasha?"  
  
"You crazy wench," he said, the fondness and relief in his voice belying the rough words. "Why didn't you just tell me? You could have saved me a couple of trips to Jigoku and back..."  
  
"Inuyasha!" she wailed, throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing with happiness.  
  
And for once, instead of telling her to quit it, Inuyasha just held her close and let her cry herself out...  
  
  
________________  
  
  
-Part 5- In Which All's Well That Ends Well, and Our Heroes Learn the Value of Timing...and Locks  
  
Coming soon!  
  
(Author's Notes-) Hai, hai, wakatta...I stand corrected. Kagome no otouto no na wa *Sota*. I started this fic before I had read any manga with him in them, so I looked up his name from some random fic on ff.net, and apparently they were a bit confused, and passed it on to me. t_t***  
  
I probably wouldn't have noticed it by now if you all hadn't pointed it out. Minna-san arigatou! T_T I promise, in this last chapter his name will be given the correct spelling. Mata ne! -tobu ishi. 


	5. In Which All's Well That Ends Well, and ...

#- Merry Christmas, Inuyasha! -#  
  
An Inuyasha Fanfic by Tobu Ishi  
  
  
  
-Part 5- In Which All's Well That Ends Well, and Our Heroes Learn the Value of Timing...and Locks  
________________  
  
"...Makkana no hana no tonakai san wa, san wa!"  
  
Climbing in the back window of Kagome's bedroom, Inuyasha and Kagome could faintly hear Sota and Shippo in the living room, merrily caroling away at "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer". In fact, from the sound of it, they seemed to be in the midst of a crowd of delighted teenage girls...  
  
"Aww, they're so cute!"  
  
"Adorable..."  
  
"Look at the little one, isn't his little tail cute? Do you think it's real?"  
  
"No way."  
  
"I wanna pet it!"  
  
Kagome sweatdropped. "I thought Shippo was going to stay in Sota's room..." she muttered. Inuyasha sighed.  
  
"So did I. Dumb fox-brat..." He blinked suddenly, gazing thoughtfully at the door. "Hm...the kogitsune is distracted. You know what this means, of course."  
  
"Not exactly," Kagome dubiously replied. The hanyou's face split into a rare grin.  
  
"More food for us!" he declared, already halfway to the door. "Got any ramen out there?"  
  
Shaking her head, Kagome followed him. "Well, at least I know you're feeling better; your appetite is back." Honestly, she didn't mind; Inuyasha had earned his food this time. "And no, actually, we don't have any ramen ready..."  
  
His face fell, but Kagome smiled.  
  
"...however, if you want some, I'll go fix you a bowl. Two, if you can eat them."   
  
As if there was any question of that. It was one happy hanyou who sped down the hallway of the Higurashi's house, beelining toward the kitchen...  
  
Just then, Kagome, following in his wake, was startled to see him suddenly...stop. She frowned; now that was something she had never seen him do when ramen was in the offing. Glancing this way and that, Inuyasha swiveled his ears slightly, blinking curiously...then suddenly strode to the coat closet and abruptly slid the door open.  
  
"Ack!"  
  
"Kyaa-!"  
  
Two very startled young humans-and a sprig of second-hand mistletoe-tumbled out onto the hallway floor at the hanyou's feet. Inuyasha crossed his arms, tapping his foot slightly with a what-the-hell-do-you-think-you're-doing look on his face. Taking a step forward in alarm as the pair toppled into view, Kagome suddenly went red.  
  
"Miroku!!"  
  
Looking rather sheepish, the houshi began to discreetly disentangle himself from Sanna, who was trying to do up the top two buttons of her dress without making it too obvious what she was doing.  
  
"Ah. Inuyasha...Kagome-sama. I can explain..."  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Knowing you, Miroku, you probably can. In fact, it would probably be pretty funny to stay here and listen to you, except that I have ramen to make...so, I'm letting you get away with this one. I won't tell my mother you were necking in her closet-"  
  
"Arigatou Kagome-chan!" Sanna squealed, looking very pleased and already starting to tug Miroku back in the direction of the aforementioned 'hideaway'.  
  
"-but only if you two stay out of trouble for the rest of the night. That means *no* more closets. In fact, just to be safe...stay in the living room."  
  
Miroku glanced away rather sullenly and Sanna pouted, but the combined glares of Kagome *and* Inuyasha were too much to stand up to, and they reluctantly got to their feet, heading for the living room and...not quite touching. Though it was a close call...  
  
Watching them, Inuyasha shook his head. "He's irrepressible."  
  
"Actually, so is she," Kagome said with a grin. "I'm not surprised they ran into each other. Birds of a feather and all that. So, ready for that ramen?"  
  
Inuyasha just looked at her. Kagome giggled.  
  
"Okay, okay, stupid question. Let's go."  
  
  
  
"...and two years ago, he tried to give me this weird sticky green thing in a bottle that he said was lucky kelpie hair from Hokkaido!"  
  
Inuyasha shook his head, helping himself to another cookie. "Your grandpa is one weird old geezer."  
  
"You're telling me? At least he'll have a decent excuse for me not being at school for a few days after vacation...a deadly stomachache. Or maybe just obesity," Kagome chuckled, reaching over the hanyou to grab a cookie of her own from the tray on the side table. The two of them were sprawled on the sofa, polishing off the party treats and joking around and generally having a grand old time. It was after midnight, and most of the guests had gone home to bed, so that they could leap up in the morning for presents.  
  
"Sanna-sama, you are the loveliest maiden I have ever met...will you bear my-"  
  
*whap!* "Shut it, monk!"  
  
Well...almost all the guests.  
  
Miroku scowled, reaching up to wipe chocolate off of his cheek from where Inuyasha's well-placed fudge missile had landed. "I was simply asking Sanna-sama a question, you boorish hanyou."  
  
Sanna blinked. "Um...Miroku, sugar, it's almost one in the morning. I think I'd better get on home."  
  
"Of course, sweet lady," Miroku agreed, laying on the charm to the last. "Still, there are many perils between here and your residence, I am sure. Perhaps I might walk you home?"  
  
"Oh, no you don't," Shippou said, giving the potted plant next to him a dirty look that would have been quite threatening if his eyes had been focused. "You gotta come home with us, Miruko...ku...yeah..." Sota had long since gone to bed, but Shippou had refused, saying he was no baby and was going to stay up just as long as anybody else. So far, he had progressed from sugar-high to limp and sleepy to somewhat incoherent.  
  
Miroku gave the kid a funny look, then sighed. "I fear I must retract my earlier offer, Sanna-sama. The fox...I mean, the child is about to pass out where he sits. I have to get him home to bed."  
  
"All right then," Sanna agreed, smiling sweetly. "It was fun. Hope I see you around sometime, Miroku-chan!" With that, she stood on tiptoe to give him a resounding smack of a kiss, then sashayed off into the night. "Merry Christmas!"  
  
"...Wow..." was all Miroku had to say, a grin spreading across his face. Inuyasha snorted, flicking crumbs from his gi.  
  
"Oh, hooray, hooray. Miroku got a smooch. Let's all wave the victory flag."  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Oh, lighten up, Inuyasha. I mean, how often does one of Miroku's misguided courtships actually go right? We should all be happy for him."  
  
A sweatdrop ran down Miroku's face. "Uh...thanks, Kagome-sama...I think." Walking over to where Shippou was still glaring unsteadily at the plant, he scooped the little guy lightly into his arms and turned toward his friends on the couch. "I thank you for inviting me to this wonderful festival of yours, Kagome-sama, but I'm afraid that Shippou is going to end up brain-damaged if he stays awake much longer. Please tell your mother the same from me tomorrow morning, when she gets up."  
  
Kagome smiled. "No problem, Miroku. It was...interesting having you here."  
  
"It was a very educational experience to be here!" Miroku called cheerfully over his shoulder as he walked out the door toward the well house. "Oh, and...Happy Christmas!"  
  
"Well, he got it almost right," Kagome muttered, amused in spite of herself at the monk's usual absurdity. She started to say something else, but the words were lost in a jaw-creaking yawn.  
  
"I'd better head back, too," Inuyasha said. "You need to sleep for tomorrow, and I'd just be in the way at a family celebration." He started to stand up, but stopped when he felt a small hand grab his arm. "Hm?"  
  
Still sitting on the couch, Kagome looked at him with wide blue eyes. "Oh, Inuyasha, do you have to go? I was having fun talking to you..."  
  
The hanyou blinked. *'Oh, Inuyasha, do you have to go'? What happened to 'Bug off, dog-boy, I've got important things to do'? Kagome's never seemed sad about me leaving the real world...what's going on here?* Of course, Inuyasha didn't dare say that; instead, he tried for a casual, "Fun? Really?"  
  
"Well, yeah," Kagome said, frowning thoughtfully as if just realizing the truth of her own words. "I mean, we almost never just talk like this, without getting in an argument or something."  
  
"I can fix that for you, you know," Inuyasha offered a bit sarcastically. Kagome actually looked dismayed.  
  
"No, really, you don't have to!" She offered him a tentative smile. "I like things better this way..."  
  
Had Kagome always looked beautiful when she smiled, or was that a recent development? Inuyasha couldn't remember; still, at that moment he would have traded the entire Shikon no Tama part and parcel, just to keep seeing that smile...  
  
The clock on the mantel chimed one, and the spell seemed to break. Inuyasha went a bit red, then strode to the door. "I have to go now..."  
  
Kagome leapt to her feet and followed him. "Wait! Inuyasha-"  
  
He halted a step from the well house door, looking over his shoulder at her. "What?" His face was a study in indifference, but his heart was hammering like a drum. He'd seen how Sanna had bid Miroku goodnight...was this another holiday tradition?  
  
And...what if it was? If so, then it might mean as little as that stupid kiss under the mistletoe. A scowl darkened his face, and he turned his face away, pretending to scrutinize the various scrolls slapped on the wood of the well house to ward off anyone dumb enough to wander in inannounced.  
  
"I...Inuyasha?" Kagome said, softly and a little uncertainly. Why did he look so frustrated all of a sudden? She reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder; he tensed, but didn't move away from her touch. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I," he started, then promptly shut up again. *How do I phrase this without sounding like an idiot?!* "Um...Kagome...I...don't want you to kiss me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I-I mean, not like that!" Inuyasha backpedaled, cursing his stupid mouth and the way it always seemed to fire off the exact wrong words at the wrong time. "I mean, there's a lot of tradition around today, or at least I noticed there was, and..." Hesitating, he turned to face her properly, meeting her eyes. "And...if you're going to kiss me, I want it to be because...well, because you like me. Not because of a dumb tradition."  
  
There; he'd said it. Shutting his eyes in embarrassment, he waited for he wasn't sure what...  
  
And felt fingers brush his hair gently out of his face. Inuyasha's eyes flew open again, to see Kagome looking fondly up at him. "You crazy hanyou, you just don't listen, do you?" she scolded. "When I said I loved you, I meant it. What, are you calling me a liar?"  
  
Inuyasha's mouth had once again deserted him; he couldn't seem to say a word. Happiness had that kind of effect when it was bubbling up inside you like a fountain. Instead, he settled for a quick shake of his head.  
  
"Good," Kagome said, smiling, and Inuyasha realized that she was standing so close that the heat from their bodies warmed the frigid winter air between them... "Then I won't kiss you."  
  
"What?" Inuyasha yelped.  
  
"Well, you said you didn't want a kiss, didn't you?" Kagome said, her eyes sparkling. "So I won't kiss you, then. There's your Christmas present!"  
  
Inuyasha stared at her, utterly confused...and then he realized. She was teasing him. Well, two could play at that. He grinned.  
  
"Fine," he said, taking a moment of pleasure in the surprise in her eyes at his instant agreement. "But that doesn't mean..."  
  
And without warning, he caught her around the waist, dipping her back in a move he'd seen in one of the old movies they'd watched at the party. Kagome let out a little squeak of surprise-  
  
"...that I can't kiss you," Inuyasha finished, and proceeded to do just that.  
  
By the time they finally got around to things like standing up straight and getting their breath back, both of them were smiling, a little pink in the cheeks, and very, very happy. Kagome snuggled into Inuyasha's arms with a sigh of contentment.  
  
"I think that was my best Christmas present yet," she whispered into his ear.  
  
"Even better than that kelpie stuff?"  
  
"Absolutely," Kagome agreed... "Oh, that reminds me...I have to go to bed, or I'll still be up when Santa arrives."  
  
"Who?" Inuyasha inquired.  
  
She shrugged. "He's the one who supposedly brings all the Christmas presents, according to tradition. Guy in a red suit, with white hair."  
  
"Hmm...sounds familiar," Inuyasha said. Kagome grinned.  
  
"Ri-ight. Well, tell the others I'll drop by tomorrow after presents, okay?"  
  
He nodded. "I'll come and get you."  
  
About to tell him no, Kagome hesitated. Would it be so bad, to have him swing by the house on Christmas morning? Perhaps not...  
  
Then again, technically it *was* Christmas morning. Sighing, Kagome let go of the hanyou and stepped away from him. "I really do have to go to bed, Inuyasha. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"  
  
"Okay," he agreed, and turned to go into the well house. As he reached the bottom of the steps, he turned to look back up at her.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Kagome!"  
  
"Merry Christmas, Inuyasha!" she called back, and as Inuyasha hopped down the well and through the moonlit forests of the Feudal era, Kagome headed back through the softly crunching snow to her own back door and bed.  
  
And overhead, the same winter stars shone on two young people who had just formed another strand in the bond that held their hearts together.  
  
  
  
*#*#* Merry Christmas to All, and to All A Good Night! *#*#*  
  
  
  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
  
(Author's Notes-) Well, I finished it. I finally finished it! Can you believe it? Yowee...I come back from vacation, and suddenly I'm tying up loose ends on half the old fics in my files. Not that that's a bad thing. ^_^  
  
Thanks to all of you who reviewed this! I hope you'll give an opinion on the last chapter there. And a special thank you to all of you who dropped by for a look after I mentioned this fic in Fun With Chemistry; it was your fresh input that inspired me to finally finish the job. Arigatou gozaimasu! And...Merry Christmas! -tobu ishi  
  
ps- Yes, I know it's August. It's supposed to be cute. Humor me, ne? ^_~* 


End file.
